CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1: GRILL PREP 2: CHICKEN 3: BURGERS & DOGS 4: BEEF 5: PORK 6: LAMB 7: FISH 8: SHELLFISH 9: VEGETABLES 10: FLATBREADS & PIZZA 11: SIDES & SALADS 12: DRINKS 13: SAUCES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS RECIPE CONTRIBUTORS METRIC EQUIVALENTS AND CONVERSIONS INDEX INTRODUCTION “LET’S FIRE UP THE GRILL.” You hear those words and you can’t help but smile. There’s something about grilling—something that suggests that everything is about to get a lot better. That you won’t be cooped up in a house or apartment, but that you’ll be outside under an open sky. Your friends or family will be joining you, you’ll soon have a cold beer or glass of wine in your hand, and, of course, you’ll be laying something absolutely delicious on that soon-to-be blazing-hot grill. At Bon Appétit, we love all types of cuisines, but when it comes to forms of cooking, nothing gets us more revved up than grilling. Hands down. It is an art form (or is it a science?) that’s as challenging as it is rewarding, as primal as it is complex, and, to be honest, at times as maddening as it is fun. In short, it’s about knowledge—knowledge that we want to pass on to you. When I was a kid, my father used to drench charcoal briquettes in lighter fluid, and he’d engulf our black kettle grill in a tower of flames. He’d then grill a big slab of cheap steak until it was blackened and overcooked. Sure, it wasn’t exactly the worst scenario on earth—it was summertime, there were hot dogs involved, and it was my dad cooking, after all—but I’m pretty sure that I knew my dad was doing nearly everything wrong. If he was trying to pass on any important lessons, I wasn’t absorbing them. And yet I cherish those memories of my family on our back deck, hanging out together, laughing, eating, and watching the sun dip below the neighborhood trees. With The Grilling Book, we want to help you make grilling with your friends and family not just fun, but also delicious. These pages won’t just tell you what to grill, but they’ll also teach you how to grill. You’ll learn about equipment (gas vs. charcoal), cedar planks, the best techniques for working with different meats, fish, and vegetables. So whether you’ve got a porterhouse or a rib eye, a rack of lamb or a couple of chops, a side of salmon or a whole striped bass, you’ll know how to prep and grill it the right way, every time. There are more than 380 recipes in the book, all of which were at some point published in the pages of Bon Appétit. And just like the recipes that appear in our pages, many are internationally oriented, like grilled clams with lemon-ginger butter, flatbreads with charmoula and ancho chile oil, and Cambodian-style ginger-honey baby back ribs. Because if there’s one form of cooking that unites the cultures of the world, it’s grilling. Some of the recipes you’ll encounter in the coming pages call for techniques that might be new to you. Others feature herbs and spices you’ll want to add to your pantry. But all of them are written with clear, precise instructions that will arm you with confidence. So whether you use this book to savor the flavors of Carolina or California, Jamaica or Malaysia, the important thing is that you go ahead and fire up that grill. ADAM RAPOPORT Editor in Chief LIGHTING UP A GRILL isn’t so different from cooking inside your kitchen. Once you gather the essential tools and fire up your major appliance (that is, the grill), it’s pretty easy to prepare a delicious meal. In the beginning, you’ll need to learn a few basic techniques. Then, as with any type of cooking, the more often you grill, the more intuitive it’ll become. In this chapter, we outline everything you need to get started, from the right size tongs to the best type of charcoal. You’ll also get fail-safe rules for seasoning steaks, chicken, and fish, and tips on how to master the fire. Sound good? NOW, LET’S DO THIS.